VMB5000 offline

[jscunningham]

There appears to have been a firmware update within the last 18ish hours that has once again taken my system offline. This is the third time in recent months that this has happened to me and it seems the only fix is a factory reset on both of my base stations and all 18 cameras. This is beyond annoying and I’m ready to toss the whole thing in the trash. I’m tired of going up and down ladders to each and every camera to do a reset because of some complete incompetence on the part of the arlo developers. Stop forcing updates that break systems. You’re obviously not checking to see if they work before pushing them out.  You’ve already replaced a couple cameras because you bricked them with bad updates but they’re all getting close to being out of warranty and I’m guessing you won’t replace faulty products even though it’s because of issues you are causing with these updates. 

[murs01]

Arlo support recommended the same fix to me about two hours ago ....

that is, remove the sd card and try to reinstall SmartHub and ultra cameras

and, indeed, that seems to have worked

(can put sd card back in after installing the SmartHub)

so, right now all is well

need to see whether it holds overnight, if yes, then I will believe issue is resolved

[LandJS]

went through this routine although it makes no sense that the SD card should have any effect on a firmware update.  It is however working better, still a little longer on lag but certainly better.  Will see if it lasts.  One strange thing though is that my android app no longer shows a pic in devices.  It instead has a message that says click here to see your new camera live. AND live is still not 4K and the toggles still say 2K.

[murs01]

After reset yesterday with SD card out was successful

SmartHub still solid blue this morning

able to add second camera this morning

next hurdle will be when Arlo rolls out a firmware upgrade - hopefully that will be successful and a non-event

[jscunningham]

Is it recording now as well?

[murs01]

Do not know if it is recording ... I am getting motion notifications

i do not presently have a plan

i will check SD card later today and post what I find 

[tc81]

I had to factory reset it 3 times and finally managed to get it recording and working normally. i didn't have to take the SD card out to have it work. However what i did differently the last time was to remove each camera one by one and then finally remove the base before i reset it. 

[murs01]

Confirming ... recording to SD card is working 

[jscunningham]

Still no resolution for me. I can’t add the bricked BS back on my account.
For fun I tried removing and Re-adding a camera to see if that would help. Nope! It fails when trying to name the camera, even after resetting the camera.
So currently I have cameras that won’t give notifications or record. A bricked base station and cameras that can’t be added back on the account if I try to restore them. In other words, a pile of useless junk. Where is the fix for this catastrophe Arlo? I’m running out of patience.

[tc81]

Sorry to hear it’s still not working for you. If I could make a further suggestion, once you’ve managed to factory reset the base (btw I needed to hold down the reset button for over a minute) try setting it up using the My Arlo website rather than your phone. Not sure if you’ve tried that yet, but worth a go. It was being very finicky with my phone and worked on the website.

[LandJS]

That happened after my reset (the push button not power off) can't remember which it was but one app wouldn't add it back but the other did, no excuse for that but then some settings can be done on the phone app that can't on the web.  Kind of Mickey mouse.  Still has the issue of changing settings if you have to reboot the hub, go back to find them toggled off or not set at all.

[jscunningham]

I’m reluctant to make anymore changes at the risk of bricking another base station. I’ve done 4 full restores from scratch in the last 6 weeks and it’s a huge pain in the a$$ resetting all of the cameras. I’m thinking it’s best to wait for the new firmware at this point. 

[jscunningham]

It’s almost 3 weeks since the faulty firmware update that caused all these systems to stop working and still no solution. What’s up Arlo? When is the new firmware coming? 

[michaelkenward]

---

@jscunningham wrote:

It’s almost 3 weeks since the faulty firmware update that caused all these systems to stop working and still no solution.

---

All these systems? Not here.

What's bust for you?

[LandJS]

Maybe yours isn't but if you read these threads you know a hell of a lot are and don't stop with these threads, look online.  Nice that a couple don't have to pull all their cams every few days and re-sync everything.

[Johnny290]

Things definitely are not working as they should not the first time Arlo completely broke the system.

[GrantLeffler]

I’m on Week 6 of my Cameras and Base Station not working, this is going all the way back to April 1st.  After 5+ weeks I was told they were going to ship me a replacement Base Staton but I have yet to see it.  If they stall for 10 more weeks I'll be outside their 1 year warranty and they won't have to ship me anything.  Seems like a pretty good out for them. 

[n1976jmk]

Good morning @JamesC 

is there any news on this?

my Arlo ultra system started doing this same thing yesterday.

my whole system goes ‘offline’ and no recordings or alerts 

I have to pull the power cord from the base station because from the app the base station ‘restart button is grayed out.

once I hard boot it works for 2 hours or 10 hours at most then I have to do the same again.

i do have an SD card in the slot as well.

can you advise if the fix will be on Arlo’s end or a firmware rollout?

thanks JamesC!

[jscunningham]

I managed to get my system back online using a base that I borrowed form a friend (who abandoned Arlo for these same reasons) and things ar not perfect but at least it's detecting motion and recording.  A factory reset on the BS and then sync each camera with the BS.  Let's see how long it lasts this time. Last time it was only a couple weeks.  These issues have been going on since early February and I still have two dead base stations that I've requested warranty replacement for.

Other annoyances still outstanding:

*Long lag time opening live view.

*Long delay to see recorded video.

* Mode is not accessible on some devices.

*Camera settings not accessible on some devices.

[LandJS]

Well here we Fing go again, got up this morning to no synced cameras and a hub that won't reset for the 5th damned time.  Could have been robbed last night and have a medical appointment this morning so don't have time for a factory reset.  Trusting these systems is dangerous and the Arlo response is a joke and pure BS.  As is anyone saying "here's a link to open a ticket" got six already.  When I get home it's BBB time and recommend all dealing with this get on social media and let the world know how pathetic this is.

[JamesC · Accepted solution]

A firmware fix was released last night that should resolve the issues being discussed here. I will be marking this post as the solution to this thread for ease off access to the information below. Please let us know if you're still experiencing an issue. For more information on this release, take a look at the notes here: Arlo SmartHub VMB5000 - 1.16.1.4_550_7655954 - 19th May 2020

If you're experiencing issues getting this firmware update, please follow these troubleshooting steps:

•    Remove the Ethernet cable to your SmartHub.
•    Remove SD Card. (if one is inserted)
•    Reboot the SmartHub by removing power.
•    Reapply power, wait for the SmartHub to boot up completely. The LED should be blinking Amber.
•    Re-Insert the Ethernet cable.
•    Reboot the SmartHub again by removing power.
•    Reapply power again,after the SmartHub boots up, wait for about 3 minutes – LED should blink alternating Amber/Blue.
•    Wait for the SmartHub to reboot on it's own and the LED should change to Solid Amber.
•    After boot up, check the firmware version in your mobile app, it should be 1.16.1.4_550_7655954.
•    Insert SD Card if one was used originally.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused,

JamesC
 

[n1976jmk]

Thank you James! My hub received the new firmware! FYI I’ve had the sd card out of the hub the last few days because the system seemed to prefer better without it since these issues starting occurring.

After I confirmed I have the new firmware version then I just re-inserted the sd card again.

Thank you again!

[LandJS]

Here's how it went JameC. Followed the instructions 5 times without resolve.  Would only get a no hub found even after it cycled all the way to a solid blue light.  A couple times got a no hub found and a no cameras synced to hub at the same time.  No firmware update even with a factory reset that timed out looking for a hub.  Had to resort to what I did the last 5 times, remove it all, then a factory reset which finally got the new firmware, then on to manually sync all cameras again.  Only this time it went offline while I was re-syncing.  Had to get it back to finish adding cameras.  So all I can say for sure is I finally got the update and it is for the moment working.  There is still no fix for 2K live in the update.  Time will tell if it holds.

[jscunningham]

I’ve only tried my bricked base so far but it won’t update the firmware. I’ve followed the instructions and tried a reset at least 5 times without success. I also tried a reset ant that wouldn’t work either. Just confirms that the base is dead. 

The one I managed to get online yesterday is working for the most part but as previously mentioned several features still don’t work. I’m reluctant to force the upgrade on it but will wait and see what happens when it auto updates. 

[Abow2012]

I’ve done several factory resets, deleted the smart hub from my app, and deleted my app. I’ve tried a variety of combinations when doing the factory reset and nothing works. The system reboots and the LED is blue. I open the app to add the smart hub back and App says it can’t find a smart hub. Repeat the circle of a reset in a different order and the same result. The LED will end up turning amber at some point, but then solid blue again. Please help!

[Goosepoo]

I'm not sure how, but this latest update made things worse. Where the base station would previously show as offline, it was at least still recording to the cloud and I could watch live through the Apple Home app since I had connected it to Homekit.  Woke up this morning and couldn't access anything. Tried the steps outlined in the fix half a dozen times. The indicator light is solid blue (previously it would only flash amber), but now I can't access through the app or through Homekit.  I'm going to spend the few hours to pull the ladder out and try to factory reset everything and re-add.  If that doesn't work I'm returning this $1,100 paperweight back to Costco (thank goodness for their return policy).